ST. LOUIS – Alexander Steen will be a member of the St. Louis Blues for the forseeable future.
Steen signed a four-year contract extension worth $23 million on Friday, the first day of training camp. The 32-year-old forward, who had one year remaining on his current three-year deal, is now signed with the Blues through the 2020-21 season.
This marks the second time Steen could have elected to test the market as an unrestricted free agent, but instead chose to sign an extension to remain a Blue.
“St. Louis has become home. I’ve been here eight years,” Steen said. “I’ve gotten to know a lot of people within hockey and outside hockey here. We seem to be spending less and less time in Sweden to make sure we get our time in here as well. It’s been an incredible journey and St. Louis is definitely somewhere I see as home now.”
“We are extremely excited to have Alexander signed for the next four seasons,” Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said. “He has developed into one of the League’s premier 200-foot players and is a key member of our leadership group. He has shown tremendous loyalty to the Blues organization, our fans and the St. Louis community.”
Steen played in 67 games for St. Louis last season, scoring 17 goals and 35 assists (52 points). During the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Steen led the Blues to their first trip to the Western Conference Final in 15 years, posting 10 points (four goals, six assists) in 20 appearances.
For his Blues career, Steen has appeared in 493 regular-season games and ranks 11th in club history with 355 points (147 goals, 208 assists). He is one of the NHL’s most versatile two-way forwards, averaging over a minute-and-a-half of shorthanded ice time and two-and-a-half minutes of power-play ice time per game. He has recorded a +54 rating since joining the club.
In 746 career NHL games, the Winnipeg native has 197 goals, 284 assists (481 points) and a plus-46 rating.
